Yūreihana
by Pumpkin Maximus
Summary: A powerful, unchecked miko was not something Koenma had time to deal with right now. So he let Kurama do it. In hindsight, maybe he should have paid more attention to who he was dealing with. (Mostly canon, post-manga. Rating subject to change.)
1. Higurashi Kagome

Chapter 1: Higurashi Kagome

Words: 100

"A _miko_?" Kurama asked in surprise. "In the twenty-first century?"

"Yes," Koenma confirmed, a quiet look of consternation wrinkling his baby face. "She actually works for your step-father's company."

"I didn't even sense her," Kurama admitted, his brow furrowing to match Koenma's.

"Yes, she does a very good job of hiding her aura. Consequently, your mission is to find her and study her. She's placed a barrier around her apartment so that we cannot observe her from _Reikai_ , but we need to know if she's dangerous to demons."

"Of course, Koenma-sama," Kurama said, bowing. "And... her name?"

"Higurashi Kagome."

~o~o~

Okay, so I started writing this about two years ago now, and then I hit a period in my life that I just like to call The Block. So I'm trying to get out of that now by reviving old stories that I really, really like and, hopefully, finishing them. That should include Senken at some point, but that will take much more effort.

So, I've turned this into a sort of writing exercise with specific word counts for each chapter. These limits will change with each chapter, but always in increments of a hundred words. So, for example, Chapter 1 has one-hundred words, Chapter 2 will have two-hundred words, and so on until I decide the story is finished. (I'll tell you right now, I'm not particularly good at "short" stories. Just something to keep in mind.)

I'll post Chapters 1 and 2 today–because I feel that Chapter 1 is a little boring and Chapter 2 gets into the action a little more–and from then on I'll post one chapter per week (hopefully every Sunday).


	2. Happy Birthday

Chapter 2: Happy Birthday

Words: 200

Kagome blushed as she looked down at the small blue flowerpot. It housed a single flower with large, vibrant pink petals and a cluster of yellow anthers. Its stem was fat and dark, with a thick matting of pale, fur-like spikes. "It's beautiful," she whispered, casting shy eyes up at the handsome redhead who'd gifted her with the bloom. "Thank you, Minamino-san."

"I heard it was your birthday," he explained with a small smile. "Do you like it?"

"Oh, I love it!" she exclaimed, holding the flowerpot close to her chest protectively. "I've never seen a flower like this before. What is it?"

"It's called a _yūreihana_ ," he said, still smiling politely. "It is a very rare flower, so be sure you take good care of it."

"Oh, of course," Kagome said, bowing deeply in gratitude. "I'll take it home right now and put it on my windowsill. Thank you again, Minamino-san!"

He nodded his goodbye as she left, watching with narrowed verdant eyes as the petals of the flower seemed to expand for a moment before closing inwards, as though the flower were taking a breath. _Good_ , Kurama thought with a triumphant smile. _Now it has her scent_.

~o~o~

 _Yūreihana_ comes from two Japanese words: _yūrei_ (幽霊), meaning ghost or phantom, and _hana_ , meaning either flower (花) or nose (鼻), depending on the character used.


	3. A Mind Of Its Own

Chapter 3: A Mind Of Its Own

Words: 300

Kagome hummed to herself as she bustled about the apartment, preparing for visitors. Her family was fortunately very understanding about her reluctance to see the Bone-Eater's Well again, and so they were planning on having a little get-together at her apartment for her birthday instead. Which meant she needed to clean.

In the window, her _yūreihana_ drank up the mid-afternoon sunlight, its petals spread wide. Kagome smiled at it, blushing slightly as she remembered the man who'd given it to her. It was a surprisingly extravagent gift for a coworker. She hadn't been able to find anything on the Internet about the flower, meaning that it must have been extremely rare, and likely enormously expensive.

"I suppose I'll have to find a way to pay him back," Kagome mused quietly to herself, sighing. She looked back at the flower, only to blink in surprise to find that the bloom was now facing her, its petals closed tight around the stigma at its center. It almost looked like it was glaring at her. _That's... weird..._

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. "Coming!" she called, opening the door to find her mother and brother standing in the hallway with a small cake iced with the words "Happy 25th Birthday, Kagome!" They voiced the same sentiment, and Kagome invited them in with a laugh.

They talked and ate for hours, avoiding the painful topics of the past and focusing on the present: Kagome's new job, Souta's experiences at college. When they left it was past dark, but the _yūreihana_ was still glaring at Kagome. "What a weird flower," she remarked. There was a tiny sound then, almost like someone had blown a raspberry, and Kagome couldn't help but wonder if that flower had a mind of its own.

~o~o~

Okay, so because I've been doing quite a bit of work on this story, and I have several chapters saved up so far, I'm going to be posting a couple more in the upcoming days. However, at some point, I'll have to limit myself to once-a-week postings, but at that point the chapters should be much longer, so...

Also, just for those of you who don't know (I didn't know for the longest time.), blowing a raspberry is when you make that "Pbbtt" sound with your tongue, like mouth flatulence.


	4. It's Not Working

Chapter 4: It's Not Working

Words: 400

"So far, she seems just like any regular human, Koenma-sama," Kurama reported. Though his features were carefully controlled, his aura betrayed his frustrated confusion. "If the _yūreihana_ hadn't picked up her _mikoki_ , I'd doubt she was a priestess at all."

Koenma nodded as though he'd expected this outcome. "She's very good at what she does. I had considered bringing in Hiei to take a look at her thoughts, but with the strength of the barrier she's erected and how careful she is not to betray her knowledge of demons, I'm afraid we'd get no where with that."

"I will continue to observe her, of course," Kurama offered, but it wasn't much. There just wasn't anything for the _yūreihana_ to report. Even in the comfort of her own home, she never spoke of her powers or gave any indication that she had them, only occasionally strengthening the barrier held in place by a sutra on the front door.

"Ah!" Kurama exclaimed in sudden realization, bringing Koenma out of his contemplative reverie. "I know the source of the barrier around her apartment. Perhaps I could attempt to remove it? It would either permit surveillance by _Reikai_ or force her to acknowledge her _mikoki_ and explain her intentions towards demons."

Koenma, who had been nodding silently as the _kitsune_ avatar explained his idea, jumped up onto the desk in excitement. "Perfect! You'll just have to get in there somehow and negate the effect of the sutra." Clearing his throat to calm himself down, Koenma leveled a more serious gaze at the demon. "I trust you can accomplish this?"

Kurama bowed politely. "Of course, Koenma-sama. We are acquaintances through my step-father's company; it shouldn't be too difficult to find myself on more familiar terms with her."

Koenma nodded, sitting back down. "All right, then. Good luck."

Dismissed, Kurama bowed once more and left the office, taking the long walk out of the castle to allow himself some time to think over his plan. He knew Kagome was already interested in him–it wasn't that difficult to tell–so he didn't think it would be too much of a stretch to get into her apartment, even if just for a moment or two on a casual encounter.

Still, he did have the _yūreihana_ at his disposal. So deeply embedded in her personal life, he was sure the flower would prove handy for procuring a date.


	5. Found Out

Chapter 5: Found Out

Words: 500

Kagome took a deep breath to steady her anxious aura, sneaking another quick peek at the door before rushing back into her room to brush her hair for the fifth time. _It's not even that big a deal_ , she told herself, trying desperately to calm down. _Just some lunch. Just lunch_. But lunch felt infinitely more important when you were eating it with Minamino Shuichi, and Kagome couldn't help but worry that she wasn't ready.

A soft knock sounded at the front door of the apartment, and Kagome dropped her brush in surprise, placing a dainty hand over her fluttering heart. _All right. You can do this_ , she coached herself, hurrying to open the door with a friendly, if slightly nervous, smile. "Good morning, Minamino-san," she greeted with a short bob of her head. "Please come in. I'm almost ready."

"Please call me Shuichi," he said with a polite smile, and Kagome nodded in embarrassment as she let him in, shutting the door softly behind him.

"Right, of course," she agreed quickly, motioning him inside. "I'm sorry I don't really have anywhere for you to sit...," she said, suddenly becoming self-conscious of her little apartment. The _tatami_ sitting room in front of them held only a short, wooden table and an assortment of mismatched cushions, and the only other rooms were the restroom and her bedroom, and she wasn't quite ready to make that insinuation.

"Oh, that's all right," Shuichi said easily, following her at a leisurely pace as she fluttered anxiously about the kitchen. "It's homey. I like it."

Kagome felt herself blush softly and stared down at her hands in a futile attempt to hide it. "W-Well, I just have to grab some things. Would you like some tea? I can make some before we leave," she offered.

"That's quite all right, Kagome-san," he said with a small smile. "The cafe I have in mind for lunch makes wonderful tea."

"All right, then," Kagome said with another nervous smile, giving a small wave as she opened the _shoji_ door to her bedroom just enough to slip through. "I'll be right back. Oh, feel free to have a look around."

~o~

Kurama nodded, still smiling politely, as Kagome enclosed herself in her bedroom, likely to grab a bag or check her makeup. She didn't look bad; lightly made-up in a flowery sundress, she actually looked quite pretty. But Kurama couldn't allow himself to get sidetracked, and as soon as she shut the door to her room, he whirled around, eyeing the sutra on the front door.

It looked almost like a simple good luck charm. He approached it cautiously, wary of the _mikoki_ it emitted, and gently touched it with the tip of a finger, testing it. The shock he received was also obviously a test, but it still stung enough to turn his eyes golden.

"Shiuchi-kun?"

Kurama turned to find Kagome standing in the _shoji_ doorway with a questioning look, a hand resting protectively at her clavicle.


	6. Confronted

Chapter 6: Confronted

Words: 600

Kagome eyed the man in front of her nervously, her hand automatically going to the place at her neck where the _Shikon no Tama_ shards had hung for so long on her journey throughout the _Sengoku Jidai_. She'd sensed that Shuichi wasn't entirely human from the moment she'd met him, but she'd assumed he had very little demon blood from an ancestor so far back in his family that he wasn't even aware of the discrepancy; his aura usually felt almost completely human.

Now, though, the _youki_ she'd sensed in him before was much more prominent, swirling with his human aura in such flawless harmony that she immediately knew he couldn't be possessed, even though his normally pine green eyes were now a bright golden color, so like the dog demons of her past that it took her breath away. His hand was still floating by the door, suspended by his surprise only inches away from the sutra she'd placed on her front door to create a protective barrier for herself while at home.

"Shuichi-kun?" she asked again, softly, unsure where this encounter was supposed to go from here. She was fully prepared for him to be another enemy to purify; there'd been enough over the years that she'd had to put a barrier around her apartment, after all. But as she repeated his name, he seemed to snap out of a daze, his hand falling back to his side and his eyes shifting once again to that familiar shade of green. At the same time, his aura reverted back to its usual flavor of human with a pinch of _youki_.

"Forgive me. I was only having a look around," he said with a sheepish smile, trying to play off the shock he'd no doubt received from the sutra as nothing more than a curious investigation. But Kagome had been in the game too long to accept such an answer.

"Shuichi-kun, I think it's time you told me what this is all about," Kagome said evenly. There was neither hope nor anger in her voice; she kept it carefully neutral, if slightly suspicious.

A brief frown marred Shuichi's face as he realized the futility of his undercover operation and gave up with a soft sigh. He held up his hands in a sign of surrender. "We only want to know what your intentions towards demons are."

"We?" Kagome asked, her hand now falling to her side to hold her purse in a more offensive position, prepared to charge it with _mikoki_ and toss it at any moment.

"My employer and myself," Shuichi clarified. "To have such a powerful _miko_ born after decades of waning spiritual power–Well, it's easy to see why _Reikai_ was concerned."

Kagome frowned. She'd never heard of this " _Reikai,_ " but she didn't want to seem more ignorant than necessary, not when it might work against her. "Is that why you're here, then?" she asked, nodding to the door behind Shuichi. "To disable my barrier?"

"My intent was not to make you vulnerable," Shuichi explained, hands still held up in surrender even as he shrugged. "But your barrier was blocking out the surveillance equipment of _Reikai_."

Kagome took a deep, calming breath, letting her white-knuckled grip on her bag loosen slightly. As far as she could tell, Shuichi didn't seem out to hurt her; at least, not immediately. He would have already done so if that was his intention. "Perhaps we should have that tea," she said, nodding to the low table by the kitchen. "It seems we both have some questions that could use answering."


	7. That Tea

Chapter 7: That Tea

Words: 700

Two floral teacups sat on either end of the small table, cold and untouched. Behind the cups, two humans sat on wooden chairs, engaged in one of the most intense staring competitions known to man. Outwardly, they looked quite calm, but anyone with even a hint of control over their _reiki_ would be able to tell that the encounter was anything but civil.

"I don't see why I should tell you anything," Higurashi Souta said with a sour face, breaking the extended silence. His meager aura swirled around him in a mass of annoyance and distrust. Spiritually inept though he may be, Souta was no fool, and he knew better than to go handing out information on his sister to just anyone.

"Listen," Kuwabara Kazuma countered with gritted teeth, just barely maintaining the farce of civility, "we're not gonna do anything to her. We just want to make sure she's not a threat."

"Kagome will become a threat if you give her reason to," Souta said in a much more mature, matter-of-fact voice than was his usual. He was beyond finished with this encounter. "She's stronger than anyone, and she's been through hell, so I think you should just leave her alone. She deserves that much."

Kuwabara's frown deepened. "Well, I have _literally_ been to Hell, and they're pretty worried right now. And trust me, you do not want those guys breathing down your neck about their constitutional rights and all that garbage." The staring match resumed, only to break when the clock chimed the half-hour.

Kuwabara sighed, trying to bring himself back to a reasonable tone of voice. "All I need you to tell me is where she trained her _mikoki_. Who was her master? I can get everything else myself from there."

Souta snorted, shaking his head and picking up the teacups. He dumped the tepid liquid in the sink as he spoke, no longer facing Kuwabara. "She never trained under anyone. Kagome is self-taught."

Kuwabara immediately dismissed that idea. "No way! If she had just normal _reiki_ , I might believe you, but _miko_ need to train with demons in order to get that strong; that's what their power is for."

Souta raised an eyebrow, glancing over his shoulder at the strange, thug-like man who'd come to his home twenty minutes ago demanding answers to questions no normal human would ever know to ask. He was loathe to give away any secrets of Kagome's–he was sincere when he'd told Kuwabara that Kagome deserved to keep her life private–but he was also curious as to where the man's information had come from. He was much too well-informed for a normal human, especially considering how few credible reports of demons in Tokyo there were nowadays. As much as he could, Souta was determined to milk this man for information.

"So where are the demons?" he asked, turning to face Kuwabara fully.

Kuwabara gave him a look of absolute befuddlement. "In _Makai_ , of course!" he exclaimed, jumping up from his chair so that he was once again the taller of the two. "And unless she's found some sort of secret trans-dimensional portal somewhere, there's no way she could have gotten there. Which is why she had to have some sort of teacher to do all this stuff for her. So, who was it?"

Souta took his sweet time thinking, quietly amused when the wait seemed to tick Kuwabara off. "I think that's enough questions," he said, nodding to the door. "I'm sure you can see yourself off the property."

Kuwabara stared at him for a few moments, dumbfounded. "Are you kidding me? No way we're done here!"

"Please leave before I have to escort you," Souta warned, his aura concentrating into a looming threat behind him.

"Like you could kick me out," Kuwabara grumbled, but he left anyway. "Don't think we're done here, kid," he warned as he exited the house, but Souta just shut the door in his face, thoroughly satisfied by the curse from the other side.

~o~

Kuwabara glared at the house as he left the shrine, rubbing his sore nose. That girl definitely had some secrets worth looking into.


	8. Bring Me A Kitsune

Chapter 8: Bring Me A _Kitsune_

Words: 800

"I want to see it," Kagome said, her careful façade of aloofness breaking for a moment in her excitement. "Take me there, and I'll answer your questions."

Shuichi raised a disbelieving eyebrow at her. "Now, I'm sure you understand my reluctance to grant that request," he commented. "You are an extremely powerful _miko_. To unleash you in _Makai_ would just be asking for trouble, from both sides."

"I'd be fine," Kagome said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "And it's not like I'd be stupid enough to try and purify all of the demons in _Makai_. I don't think _anyone's_ strong enough for that, and I don't have a death wish. I just need to find someone." She looked down at her hands, clenched tightly around the half-empty teacup in front of her. The tea was now lukewarm. "Someone very important to me."

"If you just want to see someone, I'm sure my employer could set up a meeting on neutral ground," Shuichi offered. "If they're not too strong, we should be able to–"

"Oh, I don't think so," Kagome interrupted, letting herself smile for a moment at some happy memory of a past long hidden away. When there were so many painful things from that time, it was often difficult to remember the truly wonderful relationships she'd built there. "If he's still alive, Shippou-kun is much too strong for you to bring him through the barrier like you were talking about. I've met D-class demons, and he wasn't that weak when he was a kit, let alone now."

Shuichi seemed to appraise her quietly for a moment, taking in what she'd said. "Well, it would be more difficult, but I suppose a meeting in _Reikai_ could be arranged..."

Kagome's eyes lit up, almost seeming to glow with her excitement. "I'll talk once I see him. No sooner."

~o~

Kurama sighed. This was turning out to be a much more difficult interrogation than he'd thought it would be. Unwilling to test the strength of her _mikoki_ , he was forced to the negotiation table, but finding a single demon amongst a crowd of millions would prove challenging. If this demon friend of hers didn't live within the meager section of _Makai_ that _Reikai_ had control over, it would be next to impossible.

"I will see what we can arrange, but I can make no promises," he said. "In the meantime, however, is there nothing that you would be willing to share? All we want to know is how you've trained your _mikoki_ to make it so strong, and what you intend to do with such a formidable aura now that you have it." When Kagome seemed, once again, prepared to deny him, Kurama continued. "I would, of course, answer any of your questions, as well. I'm sure you have some."

And from the look on her face, she definitely did. She was looking at him appraisingly, as though reluctant to trust him, and Kurama couldn't exactly blame her for that. But there was a light in her eyes, a light that he had seen many times before. Kagome was curious, and she liked to be in the know.

"All right then, Shuichi-kun," she said with a smile, using the familiar term in a mocking singsong. "You tell me who you are, and I'll tell you how I trained my aura. Deal?"

Kurama allowed himself a small smile, just glad that his negotiations had yielded some form of result. "Deal."

Kagome smiled to match him. "Okay, then, Shuichi-kun. Just who are you? Because you're obviously not human."

"On the contrary, Kagome-san. I am entirely human." He held up a finger when she opened her mouth to protest. "Physically. I possessed this body after sustaining a fatal injury in _Makai_. My soul is therefore that of a _youko_ , but the body, as I've said, is completely human."

Kagome glared at him, a righteous fire burning in her eyes. "So is the real Shuichi in there somewhere, screaming for you to let him out?" she asked, ready to spit on his existence once he gave her reason.

"Hardly," Kurama countered. "I possessed the body when it was only an embryo; I am the only soul to inhabit it. While I am Kurama, the _youko_ , I am equally Shuichi, the human."

Kagome seemed taken aback by that comment, sitting back to digest it. "Huh," she said after a moment. "I'll take your word on that."

Kurama smiled sheepishly at her before once again becoming serious. "So. What's your story, then?" he asked. "How did you manage to train your holy energy to such potency?"

Kagome shrugged. "I was around a lot of demons. Not in _Makai_ , mind you," she clarified when he seemed ready to interrupt. "No, not _Makai_. Just the _Sengoku Jidai_."

~o~o~

Sorry about the confusion with last chapter. I know several people were thrown by the fact that I switched perspectives so suddenly, but I thought it would be funny to throw in something unexpected. I hope having Kagome and Kurama talk in this chapter makes up for it at least a little bit.

I know the fanfiction community has distorted the definition of _youko_ quite a bit, but in the manga (Chapter 22), they are described as "A fox of great age that has attained supernatural powers. The most famous subspecies has 9 tails. Primary ability: shape-shifting and casting illusions." So closer to the type of _kitsune_ that Shippou is in Inuyasha, though obviously much more powerful. " _Youko_ " is therefore not Kurama's name as a bandit, but the species of demon he is. At least in canon, which is the way I prefer it.


	9. Recognized

Chapter 9: Recognized

Words: 900

Koenma glared at the stack of papers in front of him, sorely tempted to kick them off the desk and just be done with it. Though disabling of the barrier between _Makai_ and _Ningenkai_ had been, ultimately, the right move, it created paperwork by the truckload. And as King Yama had lost the barrier debate, he'd so graciously allowed Koenma to take control of all cross-dimensional relations. Meaning he'd just skipped out on all the paperwork and left a sorry sucker in his place.

"Koenma-sama!"

 _Oh, good. A distraction_ , Koenma thought with a grateful sigh, turning to the _shinigami_ who'd just entered his office. Botan was holding her oar as though she'd only just flown in and had a cautious smile on her face.

"Yes?" Koenma asked, giving her leave to speak.

"I've just been in contact with Kurama, sir."

"And?" Koenma asked, leaning forward eagerly. This was the biggest case he had going on at the moment, and there was a lot riding on it. If Kurama had managed to get anything out of the _miko_...

"She says she's willing to tell us anything we want to know if we can let her speak with one specific demon first," she said with a sheepish smile. "And he's not low-class, either. She estimated, with the information that Kurama gave her, that he'd be at least an upper B-class."

Koenma frowned down at his clenched hands, thinking for a moment. "She'll explain everything if we just let her see this one demon?" he asked, weighing his options.

Botan nodded. "Yup! Though, she's a little bit pushy... I don't think she really wants to wait..."

Koenma raised an eyebrow. "How soon does she expect us to find this demon? If he's in hiding, we might never find him!"

"Oh, you'll find him, all right." This voice–belonging not to the _shinigami_ , but to a female all the same–came from just outside the door, and it made Koenma jump in surprise.

"Who–" He cut himself off as Kurama walked in with the woman who'd been causing _Makai_ –and, consequently, _Reikai_ –so much worry these past couple weeks. "Higurashi Kagome."

She smiled at him, bowing slightly. "I hear you're in charge here," she said, walking in to stand next to Botan.

"Of certain proceedings, yes," Koenma admitted, slightly unnerved that the _miko_ was now in his office. Botan hadn't given him any warning about this...

"Then I'd like to see Shippou, please," she said, her smile turning slightly melancholy. "He should still be alive, unless he's gotten into any dumb fights while I was away. I don't think he would, but you never know, what with the company he kept as a kit..."

Koenma eyed her for a moment, taking in the far-away look in her eyes, the naturally defensive stance she took in their presence, the faint buzzing of her aura beneath her skin. Somber though she was at the moment, she was so much more alive in person than in a recording, and her persona struck a chord with him, reminding him of someone he couldn't quite place at the moment.

"Could you, perhaps, elaborate on your relationship with this demon?" he asked quietly, breaking her out of her reverie. "This will help us find him."

Kagome's smile was back full force, and she even chuckled softly. "Shippou's always been a troublemaker, but I suppose that comes with being a _kitsune_. I met him when he tried to steal from me. He wasn't very successful, but we became friends after that." She seemed to slip into another string of memories before coming back to herself. "If a physical description would be helpful, I could also give you that."

Koenma shook his head slowly, something nagging at the back of his mind. "No. No, I don't think that will be necessary. Where did you say you met him, again?"

At this question, Kagome hesitated. "I didn't."

"She told me she trained her _mikoki_ in the _Sengoku Jidai_ , Koenma-sama," Kurama offered, earning himself a glare from Kagome that went ignored.

Suddenly, it clicked. "The... _Sengoku Jidai_?" Koenma asked, mind whirring.

"Well, not the _literal_ _Sengoku Jidai_ ," Kagome said, laughing nervously, but it was too late; Koenma had already recognized her.

"Then that must make you..." His far-off gaze turned back to Kagome, eyes widening with stupefaction. He jumped up on the desk in a flurry, scattering the stacks of to-be-stamped papers in his haste. "Kurama!" he said, voice suddenly that of a commander.

The change made Kurama jump in surprise. "Yes, sir?"

"Immediately cease all surveillance of Higurashi Kagome's household!" he ordered, turning from Kurama to Kagome in a split-second. "I'm terribly sorry about that, _Miko_ -sama. I assure you, I only ordered the use of the _yūreihana_ because I didn't know your identity."

"What are you... Hey, does that mean that flower is a bug?" Kagome asked, turning angry sapphire eyes on a wholly-confused Kurama. "Should have known better than to trust the gift of a demon," Kagome muttered to herself. "Especially one with gold eyes."

Before anyone else could comment, the monitor by Koenma's desk lit up. "Hey, Koenma, I've found something really interesting at–Hey, what's everyone doing there?" Kuwabara glared down at them from the screen. "If I'm on a case, you should at least bother to keep me in the loop!"

~o~o~

All right, guys. So I've gotten through a good deal of my backlogged chapters this past week, so it's time for this story to revert to once-a-week postings. I'll be posting a new chapter every Sunday from now on. Sorry, but for these lengthening chapters, I need more time to write.


	10. The Journey Begins

Chapter 10: The Journey Begins

Words: 1,000

"Oh, come on! Why can't I go?"

"I've told you, _Miko_ -sama," Koenma said, struggling to keep his tone respectful as Kagome glared fiercely. "It is unnecessary and dangerous to send you along. My team is more than capable of finding your friend. They should be back within the week with an update on their progress, if not a full success, so you should just–"

"I can help you find him," Kagome argued, not for the first time. She stood before a group of almost entirely non-human beings, her arms akimbo and her eyes fierce, telling off the second most powerful man in _Reikai_. "I traveled with him for a year. Even if he doesn't recognize my scent or aura, my aura remembers his. I could easily seek him out and–"

"Kagome-san, I think Koenma-sama is right to ask you to stay here, in _Reikai_ ," Kurama said in what was meant to be a placating tone, but only served to further stoke the flames. "To have such a powerful _miko_ in our midst would only bring about unwanted attention that would hinder our progress."

"Scheming, lying _traitors_ don't get a say in what I do," Kagome said with a powerful glare at Kurama. She was still sour that she'd let herself be taken in by his sweet words enough that he'd been able to plant a bug in her apartment for three weeks. Really, she should have known better. "Koenma–"

"I could set up a video station so you could watch their progress," Koenma suggested, growing fatigued by this back and forth. "It's too dangerous to let you go into _Makai_ with them, but if you had a direct link to their progress..."

Kuwabara–who'd been brought in and up to speed after he'd interrupted their previous meeting–nodded thoughtfully. "It's true, Higurashi-san. It would be much safer for you to stay here and watch us with a monitor or something."

Kagome took another long minute to stew in her anger before she conceded with a "Hmph!" and a warning look. "Fine. But I want to be kept in the know at all times. If anything happens, anything at all, I hear about it immediately, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Kuwabara quickly agreed with a mock salute as Kurama and Koenma let out simultaneous sighs of relief.

"Why don't I bring you to the observation room, hm?" Botan offered, hopping up on her oar and patting the space next to her. "We'll get you all set up there and then send these guys off." Kagome nodded wordlessly and joined her, watching the three men below turn into tiny specks as they flew off.

"The observation room is actually very big, so I should be able to set you up a private area there so that no one will disturb you. We have cameras stationed all over our portion of _Makai_ , but I'm sure Koenma-sama will equip Kurama and Kuwabara with personal cameras so that you'll never lose sight of them."

As Botan continued to ramble on, Kagome couldn't help the small smile that spread across her face. There was a time when she would have been like this, chatting aimlessly and enthusiastically. But those times were long gone. All Kagome wanted now was to see the _kitsune_ she'd come to think of as her son.

"Here we are!" Botan announced, setting Kagome down in a spacious room packed with monitors. They'd bypassed the main portion of the observation room, leaving them without company. "I'll go make sure everything is set up with Koenma-sama, and then I'll bring you some things to make the place more comfortable. I assume you won't be leaving until they find him?"

Kagome, at first startled by the assumption, soon cracked a wide smile. "That would be correct," she said, and Botan laughed.

"All right. Be back in a jiff. Don't you go anywhere!" And with that, she was off. Which left Kagome all alone with a bunch of blank screens.

She looked at them for a moment, then at the only chair in the room, and sighed before plopping down, prepared for the long haul. She knew it was foolish to expect them to find Shippou in a week– _Makai_ was huge, after all–but she could hope, anyway. With no other connection to the past, she was desperate to find him again, no matter what the cost, to herself or her clock.

The screens came on after only a minute or so of waiting, displaying images of a world Kagome couldn't have dreamed of. There were environments of all types: swamps, forests, deserts, oceans. All swarmed with demons, some humanoid, some animal-like, some strange masses that could hardly be compared to anything. But one screen in particular caught her eye.

"That's–"

The _Goshinboku_ looked the same as it always had, tall and comforting, with an indent at the center where a certain dog demon had been trapped for fifty years. Its leaves rustled faintly in the light breeze of the demon plane, and at once Kagome knew she had to go to it. It probably wasn't even the same tree, just another like it, but that indent... She would recognize it anywhere. The familiar sight of the tree pulled her in, soothing her, but at the same time, it ignited her curiosity. How was it that one tree could be simultaneously in two different realms of existence, could give off such a holy aura in a world literally soaked in _youki_?

"All right, _Miko_ -sama," Botan said as she drifted back into the room, much more slowly than she had left. "I've brought you some living essentials, but if you want me to get anything more specific, I can–"

"Hey, do you mind if I borrow this?" Kagome asked, grabbing the oar and hopping on. "I'll be back soon, I promise!" she called as she rode off with a very confused Botan in her wake, determined to figure out the trick of the God Tree.

~o~o~

Wow, you guys! Thanks to everyone who's favorited and/or followed this story, and special thanks to anyone who's reviewed. I love seeing what you guys think. :D


	11. Escapee

Chapter 11: Escapee

Words: 1,100

"So have you ever heard of this _Shikon Miko_ legend before, Kurama?" Kuwabara asked as they trekked through a dense forest his portal had spit them out in. Koenma had explained who Kagome was to them in the briefest detail before they left for _Makai_ , along with assuring them that they no longer had to worry about her having any malignant designs against the population of the demon realm, but that didn't mean it had really made a whole lot of sense.

Kurama was frowning, the outlandish tale also on his mind. "Yes, a long time ago... It's difficult to remember now, but about five-hundred years ago, there was a jewel known as the _Shikon no Tama_ that was said to grant any wish, and a _miko_ assigned to keep it pure: the _Shikon Miko_."

Kuwabara's eyes bugged out of his head. "Does that mean... she's over five-hundred years old?" he asked.

Kurama shook his head, his frown deepening. "No, that's impossible, even for someone with such a holy aura. She's only human, after all. There's no way she could be alive after five-hundred years."

"So... she's an imposter?" Kuwabara asked, glaring at the thought.

Kurama, more mindful of the fact that Koenma had equipped them with mic'd cameras that Kagome was likely listening to right now, did his best to soften the accusation. "I think there's definitely more to the story than we know," he said. "After we find this Shippou person, she definitely has a lot to answer for."

A sudden burst of static interrupted their conversation, making Kuwabara jump in surprise and glance about for an attacker. Kurama only pulled his communication device from his pocket, flipping it open to find a distraught pair on the other end, crowding the screen and speaking over each other in voices so high-pitched with worry they gave him a headache. Amongst all of that commotion, he somehow managed to pick out the meaning behind their madness.

"Kagome-san is missing?" he asked. This seemed to bring them out of their panic, and Koenma and Botan settled back away from the screen, ceasing their yelling for a moment.

"She... She took my oar and just ran off," Botan explained, looking down at her hands shamefully.

"Did she give any indication as to where she was going?" Kurama asked, all business. Panic would do nothing to help them at this point.

"No more than before," Koenma said with a heavy sigh. "We currently have a team out looking for her, but if you happen across her... Well, just be prepared."

Kurama nodded. "Of course, Koenma-sama." He shut the communicator with a snap and looked around them, expanding his aura slightly to feel if she was near them. As far as he could tell, they were currently alone, but for a few demons too low-leveled to even class.

"Now she seems _really_ suspicious," Kuwabara commented. "Why would she just run off like that? I mean, we can find this guy on our own; we don't need her help."

"Perhaps she wants to help," Kurama suggested. "Or perhaps this isn't even her destination. Regardless, we should continue. The sooner we find Shippou, the sooner this starts to make sense."

"Right," Kuwabara agreed with a nod, continuing the march through the forest.

 _The_ yūreihana _will give me a warning if she goes back to her apartment, but somehow I doubt that's where she's headed_ , Kurama mused, absentmindedly searching the area for signs of high-level demons. _It just doesn't make sense for her to leave the observation room so suddenly like that. Nothing that we know about her hints that she would be the type of person to steal and then run from her promises... There's got to be something we're missing about all of this, something we haven't seen yet._

Kuwabara stopped suddenly, pulling Kurama out of his thoughts. "Did you find something?" he asked, turning to look at his friend, whose unconventional face was contorted into an expression of extreme surprise.

"Yeah, but it's not _youki_. It's... weird. It feels kind of like Sensui's 'holy aura,' but it's so much more... comforting. Like that feeling you get when you come home after you've been gone for a long time," Kuwabara said, frowning.

Kurama found himself immediately interested, expanding his own aura so that he might sense what the human had. And he was right. The aura was concentrated in front of them, slightly to the left, and had the oddest feeling of nostalgia. _But that can't be right, because I've never felt anything like this before_ , Kurama thought. _How can you feel nostalgic about something you've never experienced?_

He took a step forward, almost as if compelled. The shock of that footfall awoke him from his thoughts, and then, he was running. He tore through the trees, the limbs easily bending out of his way as he hopped over roots. There was just something so comforting about this aura, something so warm, that it put him on edge. Nothing should feel that safe.

He entered a large clearing before too long, Kuwabara right behind him, and they both skidded to a halt when they saw the sight in front of them. There was a tree, large but not gigantic, with limbs that spread out like the welcoming arms of a mother to her lost children. Its leaves blew gently in the breeze, the soft light filtering down onto a bed of fresh green grass, only heightening the feeling of nostalgia in the two men.

But the most interesting feature was the small line of holy paper near the base of the tree, the folded white _shide_ circling the trunk protectively and letting off a gentle holy glow. This _shide_ had to have been put there by a priest or priestess, neither of which had ever seen _Makai_ , thanks to the protective interference of _Reikai_. It wasn't wise to place natural enemies together.

And yet, this tree let off a holy aura. Not only a holy aura, but a comforting aura, such that Kurama had never experienced in over a millennia of life. Holy auras were supposed to burn demons, to bring out their bloodlust and make them angry, but this strange tree...

"Is that...?"

Kuwabara's hesitant question brought Kurama's attention to the hollow at the base of the tree, where a young woman was climbing out from in between the roots. And not just any young woman, but a young _miko_ with whom they were both quite familiar at this point.

"Kagome-san," Kurama said, drawing her attention to them.


	12. Caught

Chapter 12: Caught

Words: 1,200

Kagome's face split into a sheepish grin when she realized she'd been caught, but even that realization did nothing to hinder her excitement. Who would have guessed that the _Goshinboku_ would link her not only to an entirely different historical era, but to another plane of existence? She couldn't help the giddy skip in her step as she pulled herself out from beneath the tree, turning to look at it with wide eyes.

"That's amazing," she whispered softly, hardly aware that she'd spoken.

"While the existence of a blessed tree in _Makai_ is an extraordinary phenomenon of which I was previously unaware, I think we have some more pressing matters to discuss first, Kagome-san," Kurama said, making the _miko_ turn back to him with that same sheepish grin.

"Sorry. I know I promised I wouldn't follow. And I didn't mean to, really," Kagome said, speaking quickly in her embarrassment. "But I saw that the _Goshinboku_ was in _Makai_ and... Well, I couldn't just _not_ go looking for it, right?" she asked, laughing nervously, knowing full well that these men didn't trust her and that her previous actions seemed to make her only more of a threat.

"Oh, yeah, I guess that's right," Kuwabara spoke up, making Kurama and Kagome turn to him curiously. "When I went to your house, that tree was there, too. Is it the same one?"

Kagome nodded, her eyes sparkling. "Yeah! When I saw it here, I went to go see it back home, and I just climbed right through. I can't believe there was a portal through the barrier right next to my house all these years! Huh, maybe that's why all this weird stuff happened..."

As Kagome began to mutter to herself, Kuwabara turned to Kurama with a questioning look. "She still thinks the barrier's up?" he whispered, to which Kurama shrugged.

"I had to give her some information for her to share anything, and I thought it better that she not know everything right off the bat," he explained, glancing back at Kagome to find her standing right in front of the _Goshinboku_ now, one hand placed on a small indent in its trunk.

"I wonder if he's been reincarnated in this world," Kagome said softly to herself, her mind far away from the two men whispering behind her.

"Who?" Kuwabara asked, quickly latching onto the opportunity for more information.

His question jolted Kagome out of her reverie, though, and she turned back to them with a melancholy smile. "Oh, just an old friend," she said evasively.

Kurama sighed, frustrated with her tight-lipped attitude about this whole _Shikon Miko_ business. Fortunately for them, his communicator rang again in the silence, and he flipped it open to find Koenma and Botan staring back at him once again.

"I see you've found the _Shikon Miko_ ," Koenma said, looking much too fatigued for his baby body. "That's a relief. Ah, _Miko_ -sama, I hope you're okay?" he asked, speaking more loudly so that Kagome could hear him from across the clearing.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kagome said, hurrying to Kurama's side so that she could look into the communicator. "Sorry to worry your so much. Oh! Botan! Sorry about just taking off with your oar like that. It's..." Kagome looked around, confused surprise turning into panic when she realized the oar was no longer with her. "Ah! I think I left it at the shrine. I'll just go get it–"

"Oh, please don't worry about it, _Miko_ -sama," Botan said with a bright smile. "It'll return to me on its own. I'm just glad to see you're okay."

Kagome cringed slightly. "Jeez, did I really worry everyone so much? Sorry..." She wasn't used to having so many people worry about her again. In the _Sengoku Jidai_ , it seemed like that was all anyone did, but living on her own in the twenty-first century... Well, she'd gotten used to not having anyone there. It was a weird feeling to suddenly have so many people around again.

"Kagome-san," Kurama said, his tone much too serious for the relieved meeting. She looked up to see his eyes flash gold, his aura expanding and immediately putting her on edge, even if she didn't want to be threatened by the friend she'd once light-heartedly called "Shuichi-kun." Even Kuwabara took a step back in surprise, not expecting such a direct confrontation so soon. "I think it's about time you explained some things to us," Kurama said carefully, ignoring the frantic chatter that came through his communicator, closing it with a snap and a crunch. Well, so much for redialing.

Kagome blinked in confusion, refusing to betray the inner struggle to keep her _mikoki_ from lashing out at his threatening _youki_. "What 'things'?" she asked slowly. This was not how she'd wanted to reveal her past. In fact, she'd been doing her best to keep that from ever happening.

"How is it that a twenty-five-year-old woman living in the modern era can know of the _Shikon Miko_ , and even claim to _be_ her?" he asked. "How is it that you can make such an impossible claim, and yet fool someone so powerful and knowledgeable as Koenma?"

Kagome laughed nervously, taking a step back as he continued to advance on her. She held her hands up in front of her, half as a sign of surrender and half in case he got to close and she had to remind him that she had some power, too. "Well–I mean, you see... It's kind of like, um..."

"You're not making a very convincing argument there, Kagome-san," Kurama commented, his aura growing and pressing down on her. It was so strong, she physically shrunk, surprised and proud that she'd managed not to instinctively purify him yet. "Why should we trust you not to attack our friends here in _Makai_?"

Kagome, wincing from the force of his intimidating aura, frowned in confusion. "I guess that makes sense as a concern, but... Why would you automatically assume that I would–Ugh, could you get rid of the aura bubble, already?" she finally asked, eyes closed in concentration. "I'm doing my best not to purify you on the spot, but you're making it really difficult."

There was a pause in which Kurama's aura wavered for a moment before receding back into his being, though a sizable halo remained around him, his eyes still that piercing gold. Kagome, finally released, sighed heavily in relief, placing a hand on her chest. "Jeez, Shuichi-kun," she said, shaking her head ruefully. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

"I believe you're already on it," Kurama said tonelessly, which made Kuwabara chuckle once behind him. At the glares he quickly received, he was silenced once more.

"Okay. So you want to know my story, huh?" Kagome asked, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. She turned away from them, both a show of confidence and trust, and walked back to the _Goshinboku_ , touching the trunk once more. "It's a very long story."

"We've got time," Kurama said, crossing his arms as he stared at her back.

Kagome couldn't help but snort. "I thought you might say that."


	13. Her Story

Chapter 13: Her Story

Words: 1,300

"Call back, call back!" Koenma yelled into the screen, but it was no use; the connection was dead.

"Can we get through to Kuwabara's communicator?" Botan suggested to the panicking baby king, who turned to her as though she were a saint.

"Call Kuwabara's communicator!" Koenma immediately yelled, earning a small, sheepish smile from Botan that went unnoticed in his mad rush. It rang twice before the screen was filled with static, quickly replaced by a view of the underside of Kuwabara's chin, the audio picking up the sounds of a heated conversation in the distance. "Kuwabara! What's–"

"Shhh!" Kuwabara placed a finger to his mouth, turning the communicator screen around so that the view on the screen changed to show Kagome and Kurama, the two they were really concerned about. Kurama was quickly advancing on the smaller _miko_ , who was shielding her face with her hands, as though afraid he may strike her. The sight made Koenma's heart jump in fright.

"... not making a very convincing argument there, Kagome-san," Kurama was saying, his voice soft as silk and sharp as steel. "Why should we trust you not to attack our friends here in _Makai_?"

"We have to stop him," Koenma whispered fiercely as Kagome stuttered out a response, looking worriedly to Botan. "If those two fight... We have to stop him!"

"On it, sir!" Botan whispered back, hopping on her freshly-arrived oar and heading out, zipping through the offices, scattering papers and angering ogres, but making it to a stable portal site in record time.

The portal was the largest and most stable portal that _Reikai_ had to _Makai_ , situated at the base of a large tree strung with blessed _shide_. It had been around for centuries before Botan was born, so she didn't even question it as she flew through the base and into an unending swirl of dark purple energy. She was spit out from a similar tree in _Makai_ , right in front of a very startled Kagome.

"Uh..." The two girls stared at each other in shock for a long moment before Botan remembered herself, drawn to the barely-contained _youki_ behind Kagome, a very irked Kurama watching them with flickering eyes.

"Kurama!" Botan announced loudly, zipping to float right in front of him, a pleading expression on her face. "Didn't Koenma-sama have a chat with you already about angering _Miko_ -sama? We really must show her our greatest hospitality."

"I was simply becoming better acquainted with our holy lady. Isn't that right, Kagome-san?" Kurama asked, turning to her with a smile that included a glint of deadly fangs.

"It's not really that big a deal, Botan," Kagome said, though she was still glaring at Kurama. "It seems like you guys already know some of my story. I tend to try and keep it quiet–it's not really something I like to broadcast–but if telling it will help earn your trust... Well, then I suppose I should tell it, right?"

"Well, I'm sure interested," Kuwabara said with an easy grin. "What is all this stuff about _miko_ , anyway? I thought that just meant you worked on a shrine and gave people fortunes at New Year's."

Kagome couldn't help but smile at him, the tension in the atmosphere diffusing slightly with his interruption. "Well, in this day and age, yes, that's basically all _miko_ do. Rarely anyone has any _mikoki_ anymore."

"But not you," Kurama cut in, studying her closely. "You're like the _miko_ of old. You have a strong holy aura of which you are fully aware and seem, at some level, able to control it."

Kagome could feel her eyebrow tick in annoyance at the jab at her control, but she managed not to yell at him. "Yes. I can control my aura. And, like you said, that only comes from working with demons. From purifying demons."

"Now, where would you be able to do that?" Kurama asked pointedly, eyeing their surroundings.

"I already _told_ you that," Kagome said, some of her annoyance leaking through in her voice. "The _Sengoku Jidai_."

"But how would that work?" Kuwabara asked, substantially more friendly than Kurama. "I mean, there's no way you're over five hundred years old."

Kagome shook her head. "Nope. I'm twenty-five, just like I said on my birthday a month ago." She glared at Kurama, the sweet memory of his present stained by the fact that it was a bug to let them spy on her life, and the words he'd spoken were only tricks to get her to accept it. "I was only in the _Sengoku Jidai_ for a year.

"When I was fifteen, I fell down the Bone-Eater's Well on my family's shrine. Well, I was really pulled down it. By a centipede demon." Botan made a disgusted face. "Yeah. It wasn't the greatest. But when I came out of the well, I was five-hundred years in the past. There I... Well, I made some friends, and a lot of enemies, and I learned what the _Shikon no Tama_ was, and that I had been born with it inside of me."

"Wait, what?" Kuwabara asked, looking simultaneously worried and slightly disgusted.

"I still have the scar to prove it," Kagome said, placing a hand lightly on her side, where a starburst of scar tissue still marked her. "My previous incarnation was burned with the Jewel, so I was born with it."

"So you're not the _Shikon Miko_ who protected the jewel and kept it pure," Kurama mused, his expression carefully reserved. He was more in control of himself now. "You're the girl who shattered it."

"What? It broke?" Kuwabara asked, astonished. "But I thought this was, like, the most powerful piece of jewelry in the world."

Kagome snorted, looking away from them. She still felt the shame of her mistake. "Yes. I broke it. It was an accident, but I broke it. And then, for a year, I gave up my modern life to look for it, to wander around the _Sengoku Jidai_ , constantly harassed by demons and evil humans who wanted to use the shards of the jewel for their own purposes, to taint it. With my friends, I collected the shards of the _Shikon no Tama_ , and I fought in the final battle against the vile half-demon who would have used it to destroy all of Japan."

"Naraku…," Botan murmured. She knew this story.

Kagome smiled mirthlessly at her. "Yes. Naraku. And after that final battle, after I spent days locked inside the _Shikon no Tama_ , battling him from my very soul, I wished the jewel away. I rid this world of its power so it could never again be used by someone so evil."

She turned to glare at Kurama then. "I gave so much for that quest, but I had friends who gave more. My best friend died on that battlefield. Naraku's influence on my previous incarnation made him feel compelled to follow her to hell, even though she couldn't be there to join him, because her soul belongs in me, is even now still inside me.

"The only one who could possibly be left from that time is Shippou." She turned back to the tree, drawing comfort from the _Goshinboku_ so that she would not cry. "Even if he doesn't remember me, I have to see him again. I have to know…."

She felt a hand land softly on her shoulder, and turned to see Kuwabara, eyes alight with determination. "We'll help you find him," he vowed.

Botan nodded. "The _Shikon Miko_ deserves so much more than just this, but it's a start," she agreed quietly.

They turned to Kurama, whose eyes were still hard with distrust. "I'll help," he said, to Botan's relief, but quickly qualified, "but you're not coming with us."


	14. Vacation's Over

Chapter 14: Vacation's Over

Words: 1,400

Kagome grumbled to herself, puttering about her tiny apartment without any specific aim. She took out a bowl to make herself a snack, then couldn't decide what to eat. She sat down on the cushions by her kitchen table, picking up a magazine she had laying there, but after turning through three pages, she realized she wasn't seeing anything on the page, and threw it down in distaste.

She went through her bedroom to the balcony, where some of her clothing was hanging, still damp, and resigned herself to waiting there for it to dry, just staring out at the side of the apartment building next to hers. She heaved a massive sigh and leaned against the railing, listlessly looking down on the people below.

Waiting was _horrible_.

It had only been a week, she reminded herself. Only seven days. And still it felt longer than the nine years since she'd been to the _Sengoku Jidai_ , since she'd seen the young _kitsune_ she adored so much.

She heaved another sigh, and was only prevented from continuing her ill-tempered people-watching by a mocking sigh that seemed to come from inside her apartment. She turned, nose wrinkling in curiosity. She concentrated for a few moments, but she didn't hear it again. Still, she padded back into her apartment on slipper-laden feet and turned suspicious eyes to the likely offender: the _yūreihana_.

It sat, innocently enough, in its little blue flower pot, soaking up the mid-afternoon sun on her bedroom windowsill, the only source of external light in her apartment. The flower wasn't turned towards her; it had its petals spread wide to face the sun, but Kagome wasn't buying it. And, crazy though it might make her seem, she was almost certain this flower was mocking her.

"What?" she accused, hands planted firmly on her hips. "I can't sigh while I wait to hear _anything_ about this search for my only remaining friend from the most important year of my life?" The flower didn't react. "Oh, you must think you're so special, relaying all of my information to that stupid… whatever he is. Just wait until I depot you. How's about that, Mr. High-And-Mighty?"

The bloom turned to her in a rush, its petals pinching together as a warning hiss echoed through the room. Kagome laughed, glad to at least have something to remind her how un-normal her life was again.

"Kagome-san?" She heard the call from outside, through the open glass door to her balcony. "Is that you?"

Kagome poked her head back out the door, seeing that her neighbor was also on her balcony, hanging up her own laundry. Kagome smiled somewhat sheepishly and waved. "Good afternoon, Kasumi-san."

"Who are you talking to in there, Kagome-san?" Kasumi asked, leaning over her balcony railing with a slightly worried expression. "You sound rather annoyed with them."

Kagome laughed awkwardly. "Ah, well, to tell you the truth, Kasumi-san, I'm scolding my potted plant," she said. "It's becoming rather… unruly."

Kasumi smiled softly. "Ah, I see. I have some clippers you could borrow if it becomes more of a problem?" she offered.

It amused Kagome greatly to hear the tiny squeak of fear from just inside her apartment. "I'll let you know if I have need of them, Kasumi-san. Thank you," she said, bowing her head slightly in goodbye and retreating back inside her apartment, closing the door to the balcony behind her. As she suspected, the _yūreihana_ was pointed towards her, giving her what she'd come to identify as its "glare."

"Oh, hush," she scolded it again, more quietly this time. "You're obviously demonic, or at least infused with his _youki_ , anyway. I'm sure you'd be fine." The flower huffed, sounding affronted, and Kagome grinned. But she could only keep the good cheer up for so long, and she soon found herself sighing again.

Her futon was still spread out on the floor beneath the _yūreihana_ 's perch, and she flopped onto it, trying not to think too much and utterly failing. "I don't suppose you can report anything to _me_ , can you?" she asked, not looking back at the flower. "Or are your surveillance capabilities strictly one-sided?" The flower made no comment.

"Ah, I expected as much from you," she muttered, sitting up and stretching. "Guess there's really no reason for me to stay here. You're not going to give me any answers. And they can find me if they need me."

She stood, moving to her dresser to pick out some appropriate day-on-the-town clothes. It was her day off, after all. She'd had work the previous six days of her wait, which had kept her mind relatively busy and away from thoughts of Shippou and the men who were supposed to be finding him for her. Now that she was free, she had too much time on her hands. Which was why she was engaging in conversation with traitorous flowers.

She shot the offending bloom a glare as she stood in her underwear, trying to find a nice summer dress, only to find it staring at her in rapt interest. The petals were wafting gently open and closed, as though it were breathing, and it was pointed directly at her.

"What…," she began to ask, when she realized that the _yūreihana_ was probably able to relay more than just scents back to its master. Probably, it could relay sounds and… _sights_ , too. "You _pervert_!" She threw her shirt at the flower, covering it and hopefully preventing the _youko_ on the other end from witnessing any more of her indecency. Not like it mattered now.

"Kagome-san?" she vaguely heard Kasumi call from outside again, sounding distressed. "Are you all right? Should I call someone…?"

"No! Thank you, Kasumi-san! I'm fine!" she called back, her cheeks burning red and her eyes stinging with tears. _Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why didn't I think of that sooner?_ She threw on the first sundress she found, grabbed her purse, and stormed out of her apartment, reminding herself to get those clippers from Kasumi as soon as she got back.

~o~

In the _Makai_ , Kurama and Kuwabara were having no luck searching out this mysterious Shippou. "How in the world are we supposed to find _one_ demon in all this mess?" Kuwabara grumbled, shaking the swamp water out of his shoes. The last demon they'd met had not taken kindly to their questions, and had driven them through the swamps with the fight.

"I'm not sure, Kuwabara-san," Kurama said, his eyes surveying their surroundings. They were supposed to have a report for Koenma today. It had been a week. And the only substantial information they had to show for their efforts was that the kit wasn't related to Kurama, not that he'd really thought that.

"There's gotta be a better way to find him," Kuwabara said, moving to stand next to Kurama at the edge of the swamps waters, leaning against a weeping willow.

"I know of one," Kurama murmured, his eyes glazed as he saw the fuzzy, black-and-white image of an angry _miko_ , tossing a shirt in his direction, but not before he got an eyeful of her upper half. He'd seen it before, but he certainly didn't mind seeing it again. "I'm not entirely happy with the prospect, though."

"We can't bring the _Shikon Miko_ into the _Makai_ ," Kuwabara argued, already knowing the option his companion was pondering. "You said so yourself. The demons around here are _still_ in a frenzy from the last time she came in and they felt her _mikoki_."

"I know." Kurama shook his head, bringing his eyes back into focus. "But I have an idea."

~o~

"This…."

"I'm afraid it's necessary, _Miko_ -sama," Koenma said apologetically through the crackle of the communicator static. The _yūreihana_ was interfering with the signal. It didn't used to do that. But then again, it didn't used to be the _size of her apartment_.

"Why, again, is this necessary?" Kagome asked, just barely tamping down her temper. All she did was go out for _groceries_.

"With more of my _youki_ , the _yūreihana_ is more powerful, allowing a more direct connection," Kurama explained from where he stood by the window, feeding the flower more of his energy so it could continue to grow. "This way, I can directly communicate with you."

Her groceries slumped to the floor. _Why me?_


	15. Family Matters

Chapter 15: Family Matters

Words: 1,500

There was a cluster of buds in her laundry. There was a stem through her refrigerator. There were leaves beneath her rice cooker. And there was a _fox_ in her _head_.

 _"_ _I need you to focus, Kagome-san, please,"_ Kurama was saying, though she was hardly paying attention to the words at this point. Her bleary eyes turned to look at the alarm clock on her nightstand, only to find it positioned several feet higher in the air, twisted around tightly with a thin, green vine. Still, she could make out the glaring red numbers: 3:03 AM. 3:03 AM, and she had work tomorrow. Today. Whatever.

"Minamino-san, do you think we could do this some other time?" Kagome muttered, knowing the _yūreihana_ would transmit her every word back to him in perfect clarity. That came with having the plant completely dominating her apartment.

He sounded slightly exasperated when his voice filtered back through to her, seeming to echo inside her very skull. He'd said it was really carried through the plant's pollen, or… something like that. She hadn't quite been paying attention. She wasn't quite paying attention now. That's why he was exasperated. _"You know the only time we can do our work over here is when you're in your apartment,"_ Kurama's voice told her through the pollen or whatever it was that had clogged itself into her ears. _"So unless you plan on quitting your job and remaining inside at all hours of the day–"_

"Maybe I'll do just that," Kagome murmured, her eyes already falling shut again. It was entirely too much effort to keep them open.

 _"_ _Now, you know that's not actually what I meant…,"_ Kurama admonished, seeming frustrated that they were getting off-track. Again.

"I'll call in sick tomorrow," Kagome said into the darkness. "If I call in sick tomorrow, and stay in all day, will you _please_ let me sleep through tonight?"

She could hear his sigh as though it had come from just behind her eyes. _"Yes, I suppose that would be fine. You may sleep. Please try to get enough rest that you will be of use tomorrow."_

But Kagome was no longer even trying to listen to him.

~o~

 _"_ _It will help if you're focused on a specific memory or set of memories,"_ Kurama coached her quietly, his gentle voice doing nothing to break her concentration. That was his purpose, after all. _"Try to remember him the last time you saw him, so that we can pick up on his most recent energy signature."_

Kagome, who was sitting atop her futon in her pajamas with her limbs coiled into a very loose impression of meditation, couldn't help but wince at the suggestion. "My most recent memory?" she asked faintly, trying not to bring herself out of the trance. "That's not really something I like to dwell on."

 _"_ _Well, then, try to focus on a happy memory,"_ Kurama suggested in her ear, and Kagome took another breath to bring herself back into her memories. _A happy memory…,_ she thought. And suddenly a crystal-clear image appeared in her head, one of Shippou leaning over a pad of paper, scribbling with the crayons she'd given him as a surprise present. She could clearly smell the charred wood and savory stew of Kaede's hut, hear the gentle conversation of Sango and Miroku in the spring weather outside, feel the soft cotton of her old middle school uniform, see Shippou's childish drawings of Inuyasha and Kouga and herself.

And she could _feel_ , with her sixth sense, with her _mikoki_ , Shippou's gentle _youki_ brushing against her own, curling into her, seeking her comfort as though she were his own mother. And she felt her own aura return in kind, enveloping him like a spiritual embrace, calming and nurturing and loving.

She'd forgotten, after so long, how it had felt to have such a close link with another spiritual being.

 _"_ _There! Got it!"_ Kurama's voice intruded harshly into her memory, breaking it like glass. Kagome huffed and opened her eyes, turning to glare at the original bloom of the _yūreihana_ , which still held occupancy in her bedroom window.

"If you want me to concentrate, I'll need you to _not_ interrupt me, thanks," she said sarcastically, her lack of sleep contributing to her sour attitude.

 _"_ _I have a lock on his_ youki _now, Kagome-san,"_ Kurama said, seeming to be much less concentrated on her now.

She huffed, still speaking towards the _yūreihana_ , though she doubted he was paying any attention to its images now. "So we're done? Does that mean you can get all of this out of my apartment?" she asked, glancing around at the complete jungle her few rooms had become.

 _"_ _No, not at all. I may easily lose sight of him in this wilderness, and we'll need evidence of your_ mikoki _to get him to trust us enough to follow me back through the portal. You may take a break for now, but the_ yūreihana _must stay fully active in your apartment so that I can maintain the link."_

Kagome groaned, throwing herself back down on her futon, which was at least half leaves by now. "Fine. Well, I'm going out," she said, standing and moving to her dresser to grab something to wear.

When Kurama answered, it was absentmindedly. _"Of course. Try to return within a few hours so that I can update my information."_

Kagome rolled her eyes, looking pointedly at the _yūreihana_ bloom, which was staring straight at her. "Think you could look the other way while I change?" she asked pointedly. Kurama didn't respond, but the flower turned minutely back towards the window. "What a gentleman," she muttered.

She changed quickly, all too eager to get out of the stifling vegetation that was her apartment. She called Souta on her way down the stairs, loathe to spend the day alone.

 _"_ _Moshi moshi?"_

"Hi, Souta-kun," she greeted into the receiver with her first genuine smile in two weeks. "Are you at home today? Think I could stop by for a visit?"

 _"_ _Sure, Nee-chan,"_ he said easily. _"Kaa-san's missing you, anyway. Want us to make something to eat so we can all have dinner?"_

"Yes, please," Kagome said, her stomach grumbling in displeasure. Worry and irritation had been working in tandem to keep her from regular meal times. "Think you could work up something special?"

Souta laughed. _"I'll see what I can get Kaa-san to make,"_ he promised. _"See you soon, Kagome."_

Kagome sighed as she hung up her phone just before stepping into the subway station, glad to have some time with her family; she didn't get nearly enough of it nowadays. It used to just be work keeping her down, but now that she was in contact with _Reikai_ and working day and night to find Shippou…. She would appreciate a calm, quiet afternoon with just her family.

~o~

Well, she would have appreciated it. If she could have it.

"I told you before, stop nosing around in Kagome's business!"

Kagome's head cocked to the side in confusion. Souta wasn't usually one to yell. She hurried up the rest of the stairs to the Higure Shrine, somehow unsurprised to find two men standing in front of the door to her family home. In the doorway, Souta was still speaking angrily. "She's got enough to deal with without thugs like you breathing down her neck."

"Souta-kun?" Kagome asked, hurrying across the courtyard to the doorway. "What's going on?" She already recognized one of the men at the door–if his distinctive swirl of orange hair hadn't given him away, his boisterous _reiki_ sure did–but the other was a mystery. He wasn't as tall as his companion, but still taller than her, dressed in casual clothing with his black hair slicked back. And, buzzing as though in an undercurrent of his _reiki_ , she could feel _youki_ coming from him. Kagome had underestimated the first man she'd met with this weird sort of combined aura; she wasn't about to do so again.

"Nee-chan," Souta said, surprised, as she moved to stand beside him.

In front of her, Kuwabara smiled sheepishly. "Hey, Kagome-san," he said, nodding a quick bow to her. "Sorry to barge in, but we've got to talk to you some more."

"And who exactly is 'we'?" she asked, shooting a pointed glance at the man she didn't recognize.

"Yo. Urameshi Yusuke," he said briefly. "The toddler sent us."

Kagome's brow furrowed in confusion. "Who… Koenma-sama?"

Kuwabara nodded. "There are still some things he needs us to talk to you about."

"But… right _now_?" Kagome asked, peeved. Couldn't she have an _hour_ of peace?

"We were gonna mention them before, but Kurama's kinda been keeping you busy." At her withering glare, he mumbled a quick, "Sorry."

"Oh." They all turned to see Mrs. Higurashi at the top of the staircase, arms laden with several bags of groceries. She quickly assessed the scene, then said simply: "Maybe we should all talk inside, hm?"


End file.
